Thomas Rosswall - Biography#

Thomas Rosswall got his MSc in microbiology at the University of Uppsala and was appointed Associate Professor of Soil Ecology and Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. Rosswall has been instrumental in the development of microbial ecology, both nationally and internationally. His work on carbon and nitrogen cycling has ranged from microcosm studies to the globe and has been able to link deep process understanding to modeling efforts of entire systems at different scales. In this capacity he was centrally involved in the planning and coordination of ecosystem studies in tundra, forest and agricultural systems, in temperate and tropical ecosystems. He has published over 100 refereed scientific papers and edited 12 books.

As a science administrator, he has worked to promote international scientific collaboration that benefits society. The work has focused on bringing together relevant natural and social sciences disciplines in addressing the complex interactions of ecological and social systems. His efforts also include linking scientists in the North to those in the South as well as to stimulate South-South collaboration.

He is the past Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU), Paris, France. Formerly he has been Director of the International Foundation for Science (IFS), President/Rector of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Director of the International START Secretariat, Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and Professor of Water in Nature and Society at the Universities of Stockholm and Linköping, Sweden.

He is an elected member of six learned societies, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, Academia Europaea and the World Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).

Thomas Rosswall was Chair of the Independent Science Panel for the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) 2009-2014, Chair of the Board of Mistra Urban Futures (2014-2017) and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Swedish International Develeopment Cooperation Agency (Sida; 2016-2019). He is currently member of the Steering Committee of the High-Level Expert Panel (HLPE) of the UN Committee on World Food Security and Member of the Committee for International Affairs of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.